TCU Women's Basketball Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Host UC San Diego

The Horned Frogs made the tournament in consecutive season for the first time in 15 years.

TCU women's basketball earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Horned Frogs will host first and second round games starting on Friday, March 20. | Tori Couch - Video Still

For the second consecutive year, No. 14 TCU women’s basketball (29-5, 15-3 Big 12) will host first and second round NCAA Tournament games. The Horned Frogs earned a No. 3 seed in the Sacramento Regional 4 and will play No. 14 seed UC San Diego in the opening round on Friday, March 20. 

Washington (6 seed) and South Dakota State (11 seed) are also coming to Fort Worth. Game times had not been announced at time of publishing. 

“The opportunity to host in women's basketball, it's just such a huge advantage, and it takes just an incredible resume that you have to build,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said following the selection show. “Over the course of 34 games, we put together a resume that the committee felt we were worthy of hosting. And so that's really, really hard to do.”

Campbell has made the NCAA Tournament three times in five years as a head coach and is one of only four coaches in the field to snag that many appearances in five years or less. The others are Kim Caldwell (Tennessee), Nicki Collen (Baylor), and Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt). 

In three seasons under Campbell, TCU has logged 84 wins, seventh-most of any program in the country. The Horned Frogs can join No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina and Fairleigh Dickinson, TCU’s first-round opponent last year, as the only programs to post consecutive 30-win seasons with a first-round victory. 

“What we've been able to do in back-to-back years yet with two different teams, I think it's a testament to what we're building here,” Campbell said.

TCU will put its NCAA-leading 42 game home-winning streak on the line during the tournament. The last time the Horned Frogs played in Schollmaier Arena, they secured the Big 12 regular-season title against Baylor. The team’s latest outing ended with a loss in the Big 12 tournament title game against West Virginia on March 8, and the players are ready to get back on the court. 

“I'm so excited for the opportunity to compete again with these girls, to host, to play at home,” forward Marta Suarez said. “Our last game at home the community showed up in such a tremendous way. So, I'm just excited to have that again.”

The Horned Frogs grabbed an at-large bid to the Big Dance after losing to the Mountaineers. This tournament appearance marks the 11th all-time for TCU and the first back-to-back appearance since 2009 and 2010.

UC San Diego (24-8, 17-3 Big West) claimed its first-ever Big West regular-season title and won the conference tournament this season. This is the Tritons’ second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. If the Horned Frogs beat the Tritons, they will face the winner of Washington-South Dakota State on Sunday, March 22.

Washington (21-10, 10-8 Big 10) finished eighth in the Big 10, and South Dakota State (27-6, 14-2 Summit League) ended the regular season as runner-ups in the Summit League. The Jackrabbits won the conference tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament. 

The winner of the Fort Worth pod will advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Sacramento. TCU’s bracket has South Carolina as the No. 1 seed and features a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup with No. 2 Iowa. The Horned Frogs could meet the Gamecocks for the second time ever in the Elite Eight. Last season, South Carolina beat TCU at Dickies Arena.

Dickies Arena is the host site for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games for teams in the Fort Worth region 1 and 3. TCU missed out on an opportunity to stay near home until the Final Four, but their eyes remain set on a bigger goal. 

“Everything happens for a reason,” guard Olivia Miles said. “So, who knows, it may be a blessing in disguise for us. Just grateful that we heard our name called, first of all. And wherever we may be, we're ready to play anywhere.” 

TCU men’s basketball also returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence. The Horned Frogs snagged a No. 9 seed in the East Region and will face No. 8 seed Ohio State in the first round. The men made the tournament field for the fourth time in five years, but this is the first time in university history that the men's and women's teams qualified for the Big Dance in the same season.  

“Just an awesome day for TCU athletics,” Campbell said. “Couldn't be more excited for the men. I mean, they've been on an incredible run. I think that's four NCAA tournaments in the last five years for them. And this season, it's the first time in school history both the men and women get to participate in March Madness. And so it's just awesome for our university, it's awesome for the athletic department.”

NCAA Tournament tickets are available through TCU Athletics.

Big 12 Women's Tournament Teams

The Big 12 has officially tied its all-time record by sending eight teams to the Big Dance. This matches the conference high originally set back in 2008. The conference also secured two hosting spots: TCU and West Virginia.

TCU: 3 seed, Fort Worth (Host: TCU)

West Virginia: 4 seed, Morgantown (Host: West Virginia)

Baylor: 6 seed, Durham (Host: Duke)

Texas Tech: 7 seed, Baton Rough (Host: LSU)

Iowa State: 8 seed, Storrs (Host: UConn)

Oklahoma State: 8 seed, Los Angeles (Host: UCLA)

Arizona State: 10 seed, Iowa City (Host: Iowa)

Colorado: 10 seed, Nashville (Host: Vanderbilt)

Sacramento Regional 4 Bracket First Round Games

1 South Carolina v. 16 Southern/Samford (Columbia)

8 Clemson v. 9 USC (Columbia)

4 Oklahoma v. 13 Idaho (Norman)

5 Michigan State v. 12 Colorado State (Norman)

3 TCU v. 14 UC San Diego (Fort Worth)

6 Washington v. 11 South Dakota State (Fort Worth)

2 Iowa v. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (Iowa City)

7 Georgia v. 10 Virginia/Arizona State (Iowa City)

Embrace the Madness: Making the Most of Tournament Weekend in Cowtown

As the bracket finally locks and the road to the championship runs through Cowtown, the anticipation in Fort Worth is reaching a fever pitch. Whether you are a die-hard Horned Frog celebrating a home court advantage or a visiting fan soaking in the spirit of the Stockyards for the first time, this weekend is about more than just the scoreboard. It's about the electric atmosphere that only March can deliver.